


one perfect moment

by goawaybri, khoward_warrior



Category: Mean Girls - Richmond/Benjamin/Fey
Genre: Conflict, F/F, Fake Dating, High School, Light Angst, Post-Canon, baby gays, cadnis - Freeform, cady's oblivious, janis is a hopeless gay, the plastics aren't bitches in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2020-03-08 04:49:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,371
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18887500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/goawaybri/pseuds/goawaybri, https://archiveofourown.org/users/khoward_warrior/pseuds/khoward_warrior
Summary: Cady needs a date to Regina's party. Janis is more than happy to go with her.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> spacesdykes and I have worked on this for sooo long. Special thanks to her for being an amazing cowriter and editor and soheresmyrightfinger for doing some editing as well. :))

 

“So, I’ll see you this weekend, Cady? Maybe we could grab dinner or something.” The boy was the tall dark and handsome type with blue eyes, swoopy hair, and incredible muscles. On top of that, he was extremely sweet and funny and Cady knows that any girl at Northshore would kill to date him, just not her.

“Uh, I’m not sure. If I get caught up on homework, I’ll let you know.” She offers a tight smile and a loose hug before making her way to Janis’ truck.

When she reaches Janis’ parking spot, the brunette is already waiting for her inside. She slides in the passenger seat and just groans as she sets her backpack by her feet. Janis looks over at her with a single raised eyebrow and a small smirk.

“Well hello to you too,” She laughs, “Let me guess, it’s that boy again. What’s his name? Jacob? Matthew?”

Cady laughs, shaking her head, “It’s Ryan. Not even close, Jan.”

“All white boy names sound the same to me,” Janis shrugs, “Either way, why don’t you just, I don’t know, stop talking to him if you hate him so much?”

Cady gives Janis a look, “First of all, I don't hate him. He’s sweet and all, I just don’t want to date him... or hang out with him… ever… and I can’t stop talking to him because Regina set me up with him. She told me that I should have a date for her party next weekend and-”

“I’ll be your date.” Janis interrupts all too eagerly.  

Cady sighs, “I’d _love_ that but she says I need to have a date, date. Not just a friend.”

“Yeah, I could be your date, date.”

Cady froze for a moment, before turning to Janis with one eyebrow raised, “What?”

Janis clears her throat, her sudden burst of confidence already gone. “I mean like… only if you want to. I’d be your date to the party so you’ll be able to say you already have a date and no one will bother you about it. And Ryan over there will definitely get the message.”

Suddenly, Cady has a funny feeling in her stomach. A fake date. With Janis. Would it be wrong of her to lie like that? Surely not if Janis is on board with it. She clears her throat and adjusts herself, “Okay. Yeah, that’d work. Thank you.”

Janis nods slightly before checking her rearview mirror and pulling out of the parking space. Cady leans against her window, watching all the different people in the parking lot as they drive past.

“So… Friday, right?” Janis says  after a few moments.

“Yeah.” Cady nods, “People should start arriving around like 10ish but Regina wants me there early to help set things up. You can come early too if you want.”

“Will the other girls’ dates be there early too?” Janis asks.

Cady gave her a funny face, “Yeah, I’ve heard that Shane Oman is _really_ good at party set up.”

Janis laughs, “Okay, good point. Well, I’ll come whenever you want me to. I’m your date, after all.”

Cady thinks for a moment, “I’d like you to come early with me. If that’s okay.”

Janis nods, “Okay. Perfect. _Babe_.”

Cady giggles as Janis pulls into her driveway. She leans over and presses a quick kiss to Janis’ cheek, making both girls blush.

“Thank you again, Jan. Call me later?” Cady asks as she collects her things.

Janis only nods, still rendered speechless from the small kiss that the redhead gave her.

“Okay! I’ll see you tomorrow morning, love!” And with that, the truck door is slammed shut and Cady practically skips up the driveway to her front door.

God, she is in deep.

  


The next morning, Janis and Cady walk into school hand in hand; Janis feels like she is on top of the world. Damian runs up to them immediately with a knowing grin.

“Well hello, lovebirds!”

Cady’s eyes go wide and she turns to look at Janis. “Wh-when did you tell him?” She asks in a hushed voice, clearly thrown off guard by Damian’s knowledge of their current state of togetherness.

“Yesterday. I went to Damian’s to help him with a set design project for his drama class after I dropped you off,” She takes note of the nervous look on the redhead’s face and offers a reassuring smile, “He won’t tell anyone about us or anything, Caddy. He can keep a secret, you know that.”

Cady nods, squeezing Janis’ hand lightly.

“Everyone will know soon enough anyway,” Damian rolls his eyes, “Making your flashy debut at Regina’s party. It’s not exactly subtle.”

“Damian Hubbard,” Janis sighs, placing a hand on his shoulder, “You have the subtlety of an aflame chainsaw. If I wanted advice on how to be subtle, you’re the last person I would go to.”

Cady snort-laughs and Damian and Janis soon follow.

“Come on, let’s get to homeroom before we’re late...again,” Cady tugs Janis forward, giggling. The taller girl falls forward and almost faceplants, but Cady catches her with her free arm and steals a quick kiss on her nose once she’s stable again.

“Okay, come on,” Damian sighs dramatically, walking a few steps behind the girls. “You guys are making me feel even more single than usual,” he pouts, making a show of sticking his bottom lip out.

“Oh come on, Dam,” Cady says and the two girls stand still until their friend catches up to them. “What is it you want? I could hold your hand or give you a little kiss!”

“Ew. Hetero.” Damian says, scrunching up his nose and putting out a hand.

The three friends laugh again and Janis squeezes Cady’s hand.

Cady clears her throat, “So, you ready for tonight?”

Janis nods slightly, “Yeah. I’ve never actually been to one of Regina’s parties before. I mean, I’ve never been to her _high school_ parties. I went to all her birthdays between the ages of 6-11 but I don’t think this will be on the same level. There’s not a bouncy castle, is there?”

Cady snorts, “Nope, definitely no bouncy castle… but that might actually be fun.”

Janis digs her hands into her pockets, “Does anyone know I’m coming yet?”

Cady shakes her head, “It’ll be a surprise.”

“Oooh.” Damian wiggles his eyebrows, “The suspense! The drama! The intrigue!”

The three are just turning into Norbury’s room so Cady gives Damian a stern look.

“Someone’s gonna hear you and start asking questions!”

Janis smirks, “What she means, Hubbard, is that you need to shut the fu-”

“Janis…” A stern voice interjects. Mrs. Norbury moves to stand in front of them, her hands on her hips, “Language.”

Janis gives her a shit-eating grin, “But I didn’t say anything!”

Mrs. Norbury can’t hide the little smile that graced her lips, “Just sit down.”

The three of them chuckle as they move to their seats, getting ready for first period. The bell rings to signal the start of the day, and Norbury takes attendance.

The day went on, every class going on as usual; except there is an undertone of whispering about Regina’s party. There always was on days like these. It was a big, special event for the student body of North Shore High.

At lunch, Cady picks up her sandwich and goes to sit in the middle of the cafeteria with Regina, Gretchen and Karen - the ex Plastics.

They still used their old lunch table, though they made an effort to be friendlier to everyone around them. Every so often, people from other groups would sit and chat with them. But not Janis and Damian. Cady’s two friend groups were still very much segregated. She worked on an unspoken schedule; she sat with the two different groups on alternating days, making sure she got equal time with all of them. She never asked them to sit together. It all worked like a well oiled, very silent, machine.

That’s why this whole thing was going to be so interesting. Cady showing up with _Janis_ at _Regina’s_ party? It would be unexpected and definitely make a statement. Regina, Gretchen and Karen wouldn’t bother her about getting a date again, and all those boys would back off.

Gretchen is fluttering with excitement when Cady sat herself down, “FINALLY! You’re here. Regina was just telling us about everything she got for tonight. We’ve got some stuff to do shots with, and a couple of beers...oh, and some soda for you Cady.”

Cady chuckles a little, “Thank you, Gretchen.”

Since the party incident last year, Cady decided she never wanted to get drunk at a party again. Orange Crush would definitely be good enough for her.

“So, did you say yes to Ryan?” Regina asks, leaning forward on her elbows.

“No…” Cady says carefully.

“So you’re not gonna have a date? That’s SO not Fetch!” Gretchen says, putting a sympathetic hand on Cady’s arm.

“No, no, I have a date… just not him.” Cady assures Gretchen, taking a bite of her sandwich.

“Ohmigod, WHAT?” Regina laughs, “Who is it?”

Cady opens her mouth to tell them, but then shuts it immediately. If this was going to happen, she didn’t wanna fuck it up before it even started.

“It’s a surprise.” Cady tells them, and she is met with a chorus of groans. “Oh, come on! They’ll be coming with me early to help set up, so you’ll know soon enough.”

“Is it Jason Weems? Cause he’s been telling everyone he has a date.” Karen asks, playing with a strand of her hair.

Regina scoffs, “Yeah, that’s likely.”

Cady fixes her with a stern look.

Regina clears her throat, “I mean… maybe he does. If he doesn’t, I really hope he finds one. He shouldn’t have to come alone.”

Cady smiles and taps her arm twice, “You’re doing so well at _Nice-ing_.”

Regina drops the fry she had been holding, and Gretchen lets out a little laugh, “Nice-ing?”

“Yeah.” Cady laughs a little, she hadn’t really realized what she’d said.

“That sounds like something Janis would say.” Regina murmurs and Cady blinks.

It _is_ something that Janis would say. Before, she’d always be careful to try and not use Janis-lingo with the Plastics, but now that things are better…

Maybe this is a sign. An omen that tonight will go well.

“Guys, I have to ask you a serious question,” Karen tells them all, breaking Cady out of her thoughts.

“Yes?” Gretchen encourages her, smiling in a friendly manner.

“I heard that they don’t have toilet paper in Canada, and I’m really scared because my cousin just moved there and I’m going to have to, like,  go visit her. Should I … bring my own? Because I think they use, like, tree bark, and that sounds like it hurts. ” Karen asks, her brow furrowed in deep concern.

The three girls stare at the blonde in silence for a few moments, dumbfounded.

“Umm… Karen…” Gretchen leans forward, placing a hand on her shoulder, “Don’t worry. They definitely have toilet paper in Canada.”

“Are you sure?” Karen asks, putting her necklace chain in her mouth.

Gretchen nods, “Yes sweetie. Remember when I went to Toronto last fall?”

Karen thinks long and hard for a solid few minutes, “Oh, yeah!”

Regina opens her mouth to speak, but is cut off by the end-of-lunch bell. The four girls say their goodbyes, promising to see each other soon before they part ways.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the chapter in which shit goes down

The rest of the school day goes by in a blur, and before Cady knew it, the final bell rang and it was time to meet Janis at her truck. As usual, when Cady arrives at the parking spot Janis is already in her truck, this time sketching a figure that almost looked like… her. She brushes it off and slides into the passenger side with a warm smile in Janis’ direction. 

 

“Hey, killer,” Janis smiles back at the redhead and presses a quick kiss to her cheek.

 

“Hey, Jan,” Cady found herself blushing at the contact, “Are you ready for the big night?”

 

Janis backs out of the parking space, “I’m a bit more nervous than i was earlier, but I’m still excited, especially now that Regina doesn’t want my head on a platter anymore,” She chuckles, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. One of Janis’ nervous habits, she realizes. 

 

Cady reaches over and puts a hand on the brunette’s arm. “Jan, it’s going to be okay. If we go and you decide you wanna leave, we can always go back to my house and just watch movies or something, okay?” Cady took one of Janis’ hands in the one that rested on her shoulder seconds before, “I don’t plan on getting drunk anyway,” Cady chuckled and brings Janis’ hand to her lips, an action that surprises both of them.

 

Janis nods, squeezing Cady’s hand but keeps a close eye on the road in front of her, “Thank you, Caddy, but I don’t want to make you leave the party early. I’ll be alright, especially since you’ll be there with me,” Once the car is pulled safely in Janis’ driveway, the taller girl smiles at the redhead beside her for a second before letting go of her hand and getting out of the car. 

 

They run up the stairs to Janis’ bedroom and Cady sifts through the closet to find something for Janis to wear. Eventually, she picks out black Doc Martens, black lacy cutout tights, some denim shorts that Janis had painted on and added some studs to, a cropped black mesh shirt, a black bra to go underneath, and one of Janis’ painted jackets. Janis stares at the clothing on the bed for a good while before Cady finally breaks the silence. 

 

“Do you not like it?” Cady asks self consciously.

 

“No, it’s not that.. It’s just basically what I wear every day except the shirt is just a little fancier, i guess.” Janis chuckles, playing with the sleeve of the jacket on her bed. 

 

“Well, the jacket is just for until we get inside. There is no way you’re hiding  _ that  _ shirt under a jacket all night. And as for the rest of it, I’m not trying to change you or anything, Jan. I want you to wear something you’ll be comfortable in and besides, you look good in your little gay punk clothes. Okay?” 

 

“Yeeeaaah.” Janis fakes reluctance and tries to hide a smile. 

 

“Okay, now go change, you’ve already put us behind schedule.” Cady hands Janis her clothes, that are now neatly folded and shoved her out of the room. 

 

While Janis is gone, Cady pulls the outfit she picked for herself out of the bag she brought, as well as some makeup. She slips the deep purple dress on and examines her appearance in the mirror. It hugs her every curve and  _ definitely  _ makes her boobs more noticeable than they were on their own, but that could also be credited to the new push up bra she bought. Cady smirks. She likes this. She likes feeling sexy. Not even for anyone else, but just for herself. She smoothes out the dress again and adjusts the bra, before moving to her makeup bag. 

 

She positions herself at Janis’ old, beat up dresser, right in front of the mirror, and starts fixing her makeup. The dresser has paint splotches and scratches everywhere. It is so  _ Janis. _ The whole room is - and Cady finds that oddly comforting. 

 

Tearing herself from her thoughts, Cady continues doing her makeup. She applies a plethora of dark shades to her eyelids to make a smokey eye, and borrows some of Janis’ dark lipstick, and she was done. All she has left to do was slip on her black heels, but she decides to wait to do that until they leave in order to spare her feet any unnecessary pain. 

 

Shortly after Cady is finished, Janis walks back in the room, all dressed and her makeup done. Well, almost done. She is just missing one thing. 

 

“Hey Caddy have you seen my-” She stops in her tracks when she sees Cady in her dress, “lipstick?” She finishes slowly, breathlessly. 

 

Cady chuckles and walks over to Janis, handing her the lipstick, “Sorry, I kinda borrowed it. I hope you don’t mind.”

 

Janis shook her head, rolling the tube of lipstick between her fingers. “No, I don’t mind at all.” She paused for a minute to apply her lipstick, then pocketed the tube, “I, uh- really like your dress,” She suddenly has an overwhelming urge to kiss Cady, but refrains. 

 

Cady smiles at her warmly, “Thanks, Jan. I like that shirt on you.” 

 

Cady’s phone buzzes on Janis’ bedside table and she grabs it. It’s a text from Regina. She types a quick reply, and takes Janis’ hand, squeezing it gently,  “Now come on. If I’m not at Regina’s by exactly 8, she’ll have my head.” 

 

Janis grabs the overnight bag that she packed that morning for Cady’s house after the party and follows Cady out to the truck. 

-

They get to Regina’s with 10 minutes to spare, so they sit in the car for a few minutes, allowing Janis to prepare. She hasn’t been to Regina’s house since she was 12 years old. She’d forgotten how big it was. Cady puts a gentle hand on her friend’s shoulder, startling her slightly. 

 

“Jan, if you changed your mind, I won’t be mad or anything. I can take you home and then after the party you can still come back to my house like we planned.” Cady offers with a small smile. 

 

Janis finally looks away from the white mansion that towers over her beat up pick up truck and meets Cady’s blue eyes with a smile of her own, “No. I have to overcome… whatever  _ this _ is sometime right? Besides, you’d look like a liar if I didn’t go with you.” She pauses for a minute to collect herself once more, “Alright, let’s go. We don’t need Regina coming out here to cut your head off.” Both girls giggle and exit the car, joining hands before knocking on the front door. 

 

Karen opens the door, smiling as usual, “Cady! Hi! Where’s your date?” She furrows her brow in confusion. 

 

Cady lifts up her and Janis’ joined hands, “She’s right here, Karen,” Cady giggles a little before lowering their hands and leading Janis inside the house. 

 

Karen stares at the two of them for a few minutes, biting her lip, “Oh! You’re a thing.” 

 

Janis and Cady nod. 

 

“Regina! Gretchen! Cady’s here and she’s dating Janis Sarkisian!” 

 

Gretchen scurries out of the kitchen to meet the trio on the living room. She gives Cady a hug and hesitates before hugging Janis. 

 

“So, this is your date…”  Gretchen smiles at Janis, then at Cady. “Not what I expected.” 

 

Janis shuffles in place, and squeezes Cady’s hand. 

 

“I mean… not that it’s a bad thing,” Gretchen quickly corrects herself, putting a hand on Janis’ shoulder, “ It’s just that I was expecting-” 

 

“A boy,” Janis interrupts coldly, jerking her shoulder out of Gretchen’s grasp. 

 

Gretchen smiles widely and awkwardly, looking quickly between the two girls. 

 

After a few moments of silence, Cady clears her throat and asks, “So, where’s Regina?” 

 

“In the kitchen. She’s getting the snacks!” Karen replies excitedly, clearly unaffected by the awkwardness that previously ensued. 

 

Cady looks at Janis worriedly, searching her face for any sign of discomfort. The taller girl looks angry, almost sad. Cady reaches out for Janis’ hand and squeezes it reassuringly.

 

They walk into the kitchen. Regina’s on the other end of the room sorting through snacks. When they enter, she turns around, and when she catches sight of Janis, her eyes almost pop out of her head. 

 

Janis shifts uncomfortably and Cady squeezes her hand again, “Regina, you okay?”

 

“Uhh, yeah.” Regina says, dropping a bag of chips on the table, “I just, I wasn’t expecting to see… when Karen said that she was your date I thought she was joking. I’m sorry I…” 

 

“I can leave if you want.” Janis cuts her off, not meeting her gaze. She didn’t exactly think this part through when she offered to come to this party. 

 

“No!” Regina chokes out quickly, “I mean… If you’re Cady’s date, you’re more than welcome. I mean, you’d be more than welcome even if you weren’t Cady’s date but…” 

 

Janis forces a little grin and Cady puts her arm around her. There’s a few moments of awkward silence before Gretchen clears her throat.

 

“So uhh… when did you become a thing?” 

 

Cady opens her mouth to say something but Janis cuts her off, “Only a few days… but, I think we’ve had feelings for each other for a while now. We were just hiding them. Right Cady?”

 

“Right.” Cady nods, “I mean it’s been ages now… from the minute I saw her, I got this funny feeling inside…”

 

“Like the funny feeling I get inside after I eat expired cheese?” Karen asks with her trademark, dumb grin. 

 

Everyone laughs at that. 

 

“So,” Janis puts her hands together once the laughter dies down, “Party set up?”

 

“Oh, yeah, Right.” Regina says, stepping away from the kitchen table, “I’m gonna need someone to collect all the valuables upstairs and lock them in my parents’ room. We do  _ not _ need a robbery. Actually, we should just lock all the rooms upstairs. I don’t want Taylor Park’s second child to be conceived on my new bedspread.”  

 

“Janis and I can do that.” Cady offers.

 

“Why? You want a reason to get her alone in the bedroom?” Gretchen jokes. 

 

Everyone laughs again, but this time, the laughter is laced with slight discomfort.

 

“You caught me.” Cady jokes half-heartedly. 

 

Janis takes a deep breath, and on a high of adrenaline she bows her head a little and presses a kiss to Cady’s temple, pulling her flush against her side.

 

Cady blushes furiously, and Gretchen coos, “Awe! They’re so cute!” 

 

Regina clears her throat. Everyone looks at her. She turns around to one of the kitchen counters and picks up a heavy box, handing it to Cady. 

 

“If you could set this on my parents’ bed, that’d be great. You can also put your jackets and keys in my bedroom if you want. Karen and Gretchen put their stuff in there since the door will be locked.” 

 

Cady nods, struggling a little to hold the box, “Thank you, Regina, We’ll do that.” 

 

Janis chuckles and takes the box from Cady’s hands as they make their way toward the stairs, causing Cady to huff in disagreement. 

 

“Come on, Caddy. There’s no way I was going to let you hold that box. It’s like the size of your head.” Janis laughs as they walk up. 

 

Cady crosses her arms, “I’m a lot stronger than I look! Don’t you remember? I used to work with lions on the African Savannah.”

 

“Yeah, but Mrs. George’s valuables are a whole different ball game. Haven’t you seen the size of her sorority chalice?

 

Cady snorts, “No, have you?”

 

Janis half smiles, but doesn’t say anything. 

 

She leads the way to Regina’s parents’ room. Cady opens the door for her, and stays in the hall as Janis places the box on Mrs. and Mr George’s king sized bed.

 

Cady moves out of the way, allowing Janis to exit the room before shutting the door and locking it. They turn and head for Regina’s room next.

 

“So, what’s a sorority chalice, anyway?” Cady asks,scrunching up her nose.

 

Janis lets out a laugh and starts to reply but the words die in her throat, as they’ve just reached Regina’s bedroom. She stares at the pink door in front of her. Suddenly, a sense of dread washes over her.  Being in Regina’s house was hard, to say the least, but her room was a completely different story. There were too many memories. Memories that were so sweet at the time, but they were now shrouded in misery. 

 

“Do you wanna wait out here?” Cady asks gently, noticing the other girl’s hesitation, “I’ll only be a minute.” 

 

Janis nods, shrugging off her jacket and handing it to Cady to put in the bedroom, “The uh- the keys are in the front pocket.” 

 

Cady nods and disappears into the bedroom for less than a second, then reappears in the hall and locks the door behind her. 

 

Wordlessly, Cady takes Janis’ hand and heads back downstairs. Janis was always grateful that Cady never pushed. She never asked Janis to talk about anything because she knew that if she wanted to talk, she would come to Cady, not the other way around. 

 

When they return, snacks have been set out in the kitchen, Gretchen is setting up the lights and speaker in the living room, and Karen and Regina are looking through alcohol options. Cady smiles when she sees two bottles of Sprite and Orange Crush sitting on the counter beside the bottles of liquor. 

 

“Is there anything else we can do?” Cady asks, taking a seat on the couch. 

 

“Janis can help us pick alcohol if she wants!” Regina yells from the kitchen. 

 

The brunette shakes her head, “I won’t be drinking tonight, but thanks.” 

 

This earns a confused look from Cady, “Are you sure? You don’t have to not drink because of me, you know.” 

 

“I know, but you’re my date and if you aren’t drinking, I’m not gonna,” Janis presses a kiss to Cady’s cheek, “Don’t worry, I’ll survive. You just have to promise to split the Sprite with me because you know orange soda isn’t my thing.” 

 

Cady giggles, nodding her head, then resting it on Janis’ shoulder, “Of course, love.” 

Regina and Karen come in the living room and take a seat on the loveseat across from where Janis and Cady are sitting. Regina exclaims, “God, you two are going to  _ ruin _ my perfect dental record by the end of the night!” 

 

Kare stares blankly at Regina for a few minutes. When she opens her mouth to speak, probably to ask what Regina meant by her previous statement, she is cut off by Gretchen, who sits on the arm of the loveseat. “She means that Cady and Janis are sweet, Karen,” The brunette says, placing a hand on Karen’s shoulder. The blonde just smiles in return. 

 

Regina, Gretchen, and Karen’s dates start arrive at 9:45 and other guests follow shortly after. Janis sticks close to Cady, as parties and socializing with more than two people for hours on end isn’t really her thing. The two are rarely seen without their hands entwined. 

 

Much to Janis’ surprise, she actually finds herself having fun. Cady always makes sure that Janis feels comfortable and included and talks her into dancing and socializing a bit. Of course, about a million and one people come up to the redhead to say hi. Everyone loves Cady, and Janis honestly can’t blame them. She knows firsthand how special Cady was.

 

About two hours into the party, an intoxicated Regina tugs on Cady’s arm to get her attention while Janis is in the kitchen getting them some more soda. 

 

“Caaady,” Regina slurs, “Can you grab m-my shot glass from my room. Y’know the lucky one?” 

 

The redhead laughs, “Sure, don’t move. Janis and I will get it.” 

 

The two girls march up the stairs, and this time, when Janis was faced with the dreaded pink door, she took a deep breath before walking right in.  _ I’m brave. I’m strong.  _  She tells herself.

 

The room hasn’t changed all too much. Regina has a bigger bed, now and she’s replaced her barbies and stuffed animals with jewelry, purses and other accessories. But the walls, curtains. The carpet. They’re all the same. 

 

“So,” Janis begins, letting out a shaky breath, “What do we need to find again?”

 

“Regina asked me to find her lucky shot glass.” Cady states as she opens Regina’s desk drawers. “I know she hides it in her desk, I just don’t remember what drawer…” 

 

Janis helps, looking in the set of drawers on the left while Cady looks on the right. 

 

“How can a shot glass be lucky?” Janis asks as she searches. 

 

Cady clears her throat, “Well, Regina swears that every time she drinks at least 2 shots from this glass she gets…. You know.” 

 

It takes Janis a second to understand, but once she does she scrunches up her face and exclaims, “Oh, ew! I definitely regret asking.” 

 

Cady giggles, finally pulling out a small, clear glass with Regina’s name written in pink crystals across the front. The redhead pulls Janis away from the desk and takes a seat on Regina’s bed, pulling the taller girl down beside her.

 

“Thank you for coming with me tonight.” Cady says sincerely, “I’m having a great time, and I know being here is weird for you, but I hope you are too.” 

 

Janis nods, “You know I’d do anything for you Caddy. I’m actually not having a terrible time. That can mostly be credited to you, though.” 

 

Cady blushes a little, squeezing Janis’ hand, “Well, I have the best date. It isn’t hard to have fun with you.” 

 

Janis suddenly feels an overwhelming urge to kiss Cady. This has happened so many times in the past, but she just pushed her feelings down and tried her best not to daydream, as it would only make her situation worse. But now, Janis feels like the time is right. She leans forward, placing her free hand on Cady’s jaw and kisses her soft and slow. She takes note of the fact that Cady tastes like cinnamon, probably because of the coffee cake she just ate. It’s a short kiss, but it’s sweet nonetheless. When they pull apart, Janis is smiling ear to ear, practically vibrating with happiness. 

 

Cady’s blue eyes meet Janis’ honey brown ones when they pull away and a soft smile graces her face, “What was that for?” She asks softly, not in an accusatory tone, “We’re alone, we don’t have to pretend right now.” 

 

Janis’ face falls. 

 

“ _ Pretend _ ?” Janis repeats, her voice flat, “What do you mean,  _ pretend _ ?” 

 

“You know…” Cady laughs a little, “Like how we’re pretending to be girlfriends so I don’t have to go out with a stupid guy.”

 

Janis swallows and looks off to the side, shame rising through her chest.

 

_ Stupid, stupid, stupid. _ Of course. Of course Cady assumed this was a fake date. After all, Janis would have to be insane to think for even a minute that Cady Heron would want to date her. 

 

She should have known. It was too good to be true. Cady Heron doesn’t want her, she’s just using her to get Regina and the ex-Plastics off her back about having a date to this stupid party. 

 

Cady’s eyes widen with realization, “Oh my god Janis… I thought that you-”

 

“So none of it’s true then?” Janis rasps out, meeting Cady’s eyes. She feels like she’s going to vomit. “None of the things you said to the Plastics about ‘a funny feeling inside’ was true?” 

 

Cady opens her mouth to speak, but Janis cuts her off again, “No, you know what? I can’t believe I fell for it,” Janis rapidly gathers her jacket and keys from Regina’s bed. As hard as she tries not to cry, hot tears slide down her cheek, ruining all of the hard work she did on her makeup. But she couldn’t bring herself to care. She had no one to impress anymore.

 

“Janis, please just listen to me!” Cady’s crying as well, mascara and eyeliner accumulating under her eyes. 

 

“Don’t even bother,” Her voice cracks slightly,  “Have fun at your stupid party.” 

 

Janis dons her jacket on as she hurries down the stairs. She can hear Cady following behind her and telling her to stop, but she ignores it. She storms out of the front door, slamming it behind her, not even bothering to say goodbye to anyone. 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys are liking the story so far!! @spacesdykes and I are already planning on writing another cadnis multichap together so keep an eye out for that !!

****

Cady hasn’t heard from Janis for three days. She’s tried everything, calling, texting, she even tried calling Damian and stopping by Janis’ house, but she had no luck. She tried finding her at school on Monday, but it looked as if both she and Damian skipped. 

She missed her best friend. She always got this tight feeling in her chest when they fought, but this was worse. She couldn’t get rid of the whisper in her head that told her she’d never see Janis or Damian again. That they hated her and their friendship was over.

Cady feels so dumb. It was all her fault; she was stupid and oblivious, and she couldn’t see what was right in front of her. She hadn’t even considered the fact that Janis could’ve been  _ actually _ asking her on a real date. She’d automatically assumed it was just a fake date. Stupid. 

What was even weirder, was the feeling she got in her chest when she thought about the fact that Janis  _ had _ been asking her on a real date.

Cady knows that she is bisexual, she’d figured that out a long time ago, but she never even thought about dating Janis; never even considered it. Her mind just wouldn’t go there.

But the night of the party, Cady went home and when she finally managed to get herself to fall asleep she had a dream. 

Janis’ lips. Janis’ hair. Janis’ thighs. 

Cady woke up the next morning and all she could think about was having Janis beside her.

Now she wasn’t so sure what she felt anymore. She was confused and jumbled, but there was one thing she was sure of, she missed Janis and she wanted her here, now.

Cady climbs on the school bus at the end of the day, her mind racing. When the bus gets to her stop, she doesn’t move. She waits two more stops until she’s on Janis’ street, then hitches her school bag onto her back and gets off the bus. Cady walks, almost robotically, down the sidewalk until she stands in front of Janis’ brown and beige house. She allows herself a moment before walking up to the front porch and ringing the doorbell. 

Cady hears Prince, Janis’ pitbull, start barking almost immediately after the doorbell is rung and soft footsteps soon after. She straightens herself, then the door is swung open to reveal Janis with her two-toned hair in a messy bun. She’s wearing grey jeans and a white tank top, both of which are stained with paint beyond repair, and there’s red and black paint smeared on her left cheek and forehead. Cady can’t help but notice just how adorable Janis looks when she’s covered in paint. 

Janis gets one look at who’s on her front porch and without a word, rolls her eyes and starts closing the door, but Cady stops it with her foot before it can click shut. 

“Janis, please just hear me out,” Cady pleads, “I can’t stand the thought of you hating me. Just please let me in.” 

Janis looks down at her socked feet for a second, considering her options. She sighs, stepping back and opening the door just wide enough to let Cady through. 

“Fine,” She huffs, “You get five minutes” 

Janis stomps up the stairs, not even turning around to see if Cady is following. The redhead walks behind her, anxiously biting her fingernails and looking down at her shoes. Cady has never felt this way in Janis’ house before, not even the first time she had been here. She always felt welcome, almost as if she were a part of the family, like she belonged here. Now she felt like she was intruding, which isn’t exactly wrong. 

As soon as they get to Janis’ room, she pushes her easel aside and makes sure all of her paints are closed before plopping down on the bed. Cady closes the door behind her and stands in front of Janis, rocking back and forth on her heels. She can feel Janis staring at her expectantly, but Cady’s words are stuck in her throat. She didn’t exactly come here with a plan so she doesn’t even know where to begin. 

Finally, Janis breaks the silence, “You came here to talk, so talk,” she growls. 

“Right, uh,” Cady starts, playing with the hem of her shirt. She still doesn’t exactly know where to begin, but she figures that an apology is the best option. “I’m sorry, Jan. I wasn’t exactly thinking straight, or maybe I was thinking too straight, when you asked me out and I assumed when I should have asked for clarification…”

Cady looks up briefly and she can swear that she sees Janis’ face soften at her words. The brunette looks at Cady, biting her lip and twisting a ring around her left middle finger. 

“I would never hurt you on purpose and when I didn’t see you for three days it felt like forever. I’ve been thinking about it and I’d really like to go on an actual date with you, i-if you’d still be into that.” Cady trails off, finally looking up at Janis again, “It’s fine if you don’t, I totally understand. I also understand if you don’t want to be my friend anym-”  

The taller girl practically hops off the bed and gives the redhead a bone crushing hug. Cady stands there shocked for a minute before wrapping her arms around Janis’ waist and burying her face in the taller girl’s paint stained tank top. When they release each other, Janis takes both of Cady’s hands in her own. 

“Yes, I would still be into that,” Janis brings Cady’s right hand to her lips and kisses her knuckles, “And I forgive you.”

Cady blushes to her roots, squeezing Janis’ hands, “So, friends?” 

Janis nods, “Although, I was hoping that we could be more.” 

Cady’s face lights up in a smile, making Janis heart flutter, “I’d like that,” Cady pauses for a minute, looking down at their joined hands. “Janis Sarkisian, will you go out with me for real this time?” 

Janis nods, “How about Friday night? I’ll pick you up at 8.” 


End file.
